Monday, September 12, 2011

The town that loves Coca~Cola ~ Quincy Florida

The other day we went on a drive that ended up taking us to Quincy, Florida... We have been here a couple of times but never did look at it in such depth. We knew there was a lot of millionaires here and here is the story about how that happened.



Quincy Florida is a small town of about 7,000 people that is the county seat of Gadsden County. It is about 20 miles west northwest of Tallahassee.



The town is a good example of southern architecture from the era before the Civil War and during the Victorian period.



Several buildings and places in Quincy are on the National Register of Historic Places, including the E.B. Shelfer House, the John Lee McFarlin House, the Quincy Library and the Soldier Cemetery.



Quincy is a Florida Main Street community, and has a beautiful downtown area loaded with old historic buildings, restaurants and shops. The beautiful old Gadsden County courthouse is right in the middle of everything.



There are quite a few "Coca Cola" millionaires in Quincy. Once upon a time in the late 1800's Quincy was the richest town per capita in the United States of America. Coke money built a town cultural center, sent many local kids to college, and even today - in 2010 - gives Quincy an advantage that not many small Florida towns have. The Coke story started with the town banker, "Mr. Pat", Pat Munroe. In the 1920's and 1930's Mr. Pat told everybody in town to buy Coca-Cola shares, and to never sell them. He would even lend money to depositors so they could buy the stock.



Mr. Pat noticed that even during the depression, people would spend their last nickel on a cold Coke. He thought that was one of the things that would make it a good permanent investment.
He was right. A share of Coke went for $40 in 1919, and with splits and dividends that share is worth millions today. Income from Coke dividends saved this farm town in the Great Depression of the 1930's, and in every recession since then.



People all over the world like Coke. They really really like it in Quincy, Florida.

Have Fun, Travel Safe & Stay Healthy!!!

11 comments:

  1. A town of only 7,000 people and all of those gorgeous homes. Definitely a little bit of money rolling around there. That banker was definitely a smart man. Too bad he isn't around now to help out the stock market. Love little towns with lots of history.

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  2. Morning,Dear Donna! Oh, what beautiful homes! I know I would love this place - I used to be a Cokeaholic! :)
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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  3. great history lesson of my favourite drink of choice!..love all the old houses!!

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  4. Things go better with Coke is true! What a lot of beautiful old homes!

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  5. We have fallen love with Coke Zero! Much better than Diet Coke. That first home, the one with the turret, looks like a wedding cake!

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  6. Wow.. those homes are gorgeous! I sure wouldn't have minded inheiring a few shares of that coke stock! Wonder if I have any old long lost rich uncles in that town? LOL

    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
    Karen and Steve
    (Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
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  7. Back in the day...I was a Pepsi girl but since I no longer drink the dark pop (soda) I crossed over and drink Sprite! It's all good, LOL!

    Absolutely LOVE the old historic homes. I still can't fathom living in one now or then. Great pics!

    Cheers! ~M

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  8. wow gorgeous homes and buildings...we all need a banker like Mr. Pat..:) I used to drink coke until I realized it cleaned rust off old car bumpers lol.....

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  9. Darn~wish my family invested in Coke stocks..Those houses are gorgeous!

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  10. Great looking homes for sure... I kind of wish I had bought 1 share!

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  11. What a neat post! Interesting, informative, entertaining...and great photos. Thanks for using your talent in this way!

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Thanks for stopping by.. We always appreciate your thoughts on our adventures ♥ Thanks Donna